Milestone bird crowned near Pierre

December 21, 2007

Farm Island State Recreation Area near Pierre hit a milestone this fall. On Oct. 10, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department wildlife biologists banded their 10,000th bird. The milestone bird was a male ruby-crowned kinglet, a diminutive but energetic species that breeds in spruce forests of the Black Hills and migrates through the rest of South Dakota. The species is named for the brilliant ruby crown of the male, which is hard to see unless you have the bird in hand. The species breeds mainly in Canada and parts of the western United States, with most wintering in the southern U.S. and Mexico. This individual weighed a hefty 7.4 grams, equivalent to less than one-third of an ounce. He had substantial fat deposits, a critical feature for a bird in the middle of a continental migration. Biologists with Game, Fish and Parks' Wildlife Diversity Program have banded birds at the Farm Island Nature Area since 1993. A second site in the Pierre area, located in the Oahe Downstream Recreation Area, was added in 2004. Banding under a federal permit, the banders set up and monitor mist nets each weekday morning during spring and fall migrations, with most of the effort concentrated in May and September. The targets are long-distance migrants, such as warblers, vireos, sparrows, flycatchers, grosbeaks, kinglets and thrushes. Breeding birds and year-round resident birds are also captured in finely-meshed nets designed to hold birds unharmed until they are carefully removed to be identified, banded, weighed, measured and released. Each bird receives an appropriately-sized band with a unique number. Banding information is sent to the U.S. Geological Survey's Bird Banding Laboratory to help document migration patterns and longevity. Birds are sometimes recaptured either within a banding season or between years. This demonstrates the importance of habitats found in places like Farm Island or Oahe Downstream to migratory birds that spend days or weeks resting and refueling and to individual birds that return to nest at these sites each year. The 10,000th bird happened to be captured while GFP biologist Eileen Dowd Stukel worked alone at the Farm Island banding site, but on most days, biologists Silka Kempema, Corey Huxoll, Doug Backlund, and volunteer Ricky Olson share banding duties at the two sites. “When we started the project, I didn't imagine we would still be banding birds almost 15 years later,” said Dowd Stukel. “Long-term wildlife monitoring projects are rare, and we've been lucky to be able to continue this effort and contribute to knowledge about resident and migratory birds in central South Dakota. Maybe the next 10,000 birds will come a little faster.” To learn more about the results of this banding effort, visit www.sdgfp.info. Bird Banding Near Pierre South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department wildlife biologists banded their 10,000th bird at Farm Island State Recreation Area near Pierre this fall. They have now banded 10,067 birds along with recapturing 570 of the same birds for a combined total of 10,637. Here are the numbers. SPECIESÉBANDED Orange-crowned WarblerÉ1,838 Yellow WarblerÉ903 Swainson's ThrushÉ852 Least FlycatcherÉ688 Common YellowthroatÉ658 Myrtle WarblerÉ617 Traill's FlycatcherÉ411 Ruby-crowned KingletÉ361 Gray CatbirdÉ310 Tennessee WarblerÉ268 Wilson's WarblerÉ266 White-throated SparrowÉ228 Blackpoll WarblerÉ204 Spotted TowheeÉ192 American RedstartÉ182 House WrenÉ169 Black-capped ChickadeeÉ154 Lincoln's SparrowÉ123 Brown ThrasherÉ112 Warbling VireoÉ111 Song SparrowÉ90 OvenbirdÉ86 Red-eyed VireoÉ82 Dark-eyed JuncoÉ80 Black-and-White WarblerÉ75 White-crowned SparrowÉ72 Black-headed GrosbeakÉ71 Northern WaterthrushÉ69 Clay-colored SparrowÉ63 Mourning WarblerÉ50 Harris's SparrowÉ45 Yellow-breasted ChatÉ45 Gray-cheeked ThrushÉ44 Magnolia WarblerÉ36 Swamp SparrowÉ35 Baltimore OrioleÉ34 Nashville WarblerÉ32 Field SparrowÉ31 White-breasted NuthatchÉ31 Cedar WaxwingÉ28 Yellow-shafted FlickerÉ26 Downy WoodpeckerÉ24 Red-breasted NuthatchÉ23 Chipping SparrowÉ20 Rose-breasted GrosbeakÉ18 American GoldfinchÉ16 Northern CardinalÉ14 Brown CreeperÉ14 American Tree SparrowÉ10 Western Palm WarblerÉ10 Bell's VireoÉ9 Golden-crowned KingletÉ9 Hairy WoodpeckerÉ8 Blue JayÉ8 Chestnut-sided WarblerÉ7 Fox SparrowÉ6 Philadelphia VireoÉ6 MacGillivray's WarblerÉ6 American RobinÉ6 Eastern KingbirdÉ5 Orchard OrioleÉ5 Lazuli BuntingÉ5 Black-throated Green WarblerÉ5 Sharp-shinned HawkÉ4 Bay-breasted WarblerÉ4 VeeryÉ4 Yellow-bellied FlycatcherÉ3 Brown-headed CowbirdÉ3 Northern ParulaÉ3 Black-throated Blue WarblerÉ3 Canada WarblerÉ3 Red-bellied WoodpeckerÉ2 Le Conte's SparrowÉ2 Blue-headed VireoÉ2 Golden-winged WarblerÉ2 Connecticut WarblerÉ2 Marsh WrenÉ2 Hermit ThrushÉ2 Belted KingfisherÉ1 Yellow-bellied SapsuckerÉ1 Red-headed WoodpeckerÉ1 Red-shafted FlickerÉ1 Great Crested FlycatcherÉ1 Pine SiskinÉ1 Savannah SparrowÉ1 Blue GrosbeakÉ1 Summer TanagerÉ1 Northern Rough-winged SwallowÉ1 Plumbeous VireoÉ1 Solitary VireoÉ1 Worm-eating WarblerÉ1 Blue-winged WarblerÉ1 Townsend's WarblerÉ1 Hooded WarblerÉ1 Carolina WrenÉ1 Winter WrenÉ1 Wood ThrushÉ1 Eastern BluebirdÉ1